The Uchiha Connection
by Nostalgic Beauty
Summary: Harry always dreamed of family; but not even his wildest dreams could have prepared him for this. Takes place during the time skip.
1. The Wish

AN: 3/14/13 I just updated the first three chapters of this story. Read them please! I changed quite a few things, and now I think the story might be back on track. Hopefully the next update will happen in the next day or so.

Chapter 1 The Wish

Four-year-old Harry Potter sighed as he leaned on the rake he had been given that morning. He eyed the last pile of leaves, trying to bring himself to get it over with so he could curl up in his cupboard and rest his aching body. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Harry took his slight weight off of the rake and padded over to the trash bags.

The task the Dursleys had set him would have been much easier had his whale of a cousin, Dudley, not scattered the leaves as soon as he'd gotten them into a pile. The process had continued for almost an hour before Dudley got bored and waddled off to play with the neighborhood kids. A strong gust of wind blew through Harry's oversized, secondhand sweatshirt, making him shiver. Cold and miserable, Harry brooded on the unfairness of it all.

Why did the Dursleys hate him so much? A week ago Harry hadn't wanted to believe that his relatives hated him, specifically. A week ago Harry had thought that the Dursleys were unpleasant to everyone. But then Aunt Marge came to visit with her dog Ripper. After being chased up the tree in the front yard, then left there for an entire day, Ripper nipping at him whenever he tried to climb down, Harry came to the realization that the Dursleys hated him, personally. There was something about him that his relatives found so repulsive that they wouldn't even extend the common curtesy of one human being to another. The thought made tears burn in Harry's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Harry had learned long ago that tears never helped anything. They only made his Aunt scoff and his Uncle sneer. He would wait until he got back to his cupboard to shed his tears; so he could hide them in the dark.

Finally, with a last heave of the trash bag onto the sidewalk, Harry was finished. He surveyed the pristine lawn for a moment, but was too cold and tired to muster up the pride of a job well done; so he proceeded to limp toward the front door, idly rubbing at his calf, feeling the bandages under the worn jeans.

He hadn't escaped his encounter with Ripper completely unscathed. Towards the end of the day Harry had become desperate. He'd been chased out before breakfast, so he had not eaten anything since the previous evening, and the dog didn't show any signs of tiring. The Dursleys didn't seem to care either, as he hadn't seen hide or hair of any of them. Maybe, Harry thought, maybe this is all an elaborate prank that had gone a little too far. Surely Aunt Marge wouldn't bring a vicious dog with her to her brother's house? This must all be a joke, and the Dursleys are all having a laugh at the freak Potter boy, afraid of the dog that wouldn't hurt a fly. Harry became so convinced that this was the truth that, flushing with embarrassment and anger and completely ignoring the voice of reason yammering in the back of his mind, Harry began to lower himself out of the tree. As soon as his leg came into range, Ripper lunged, clamping his teeth around Harry's calf and hanging on, growling viciously. Harry screamed in pain, tumbling to the ground and trying desperately to kick the dog off. But the more he struggled, the more his leg hurt. Sobbing, Harry tried to pry the dog's jaws apart with his fingers; but it was futile. Harry's hands, slippery with his own blood, could not get enough of a grip to pry the teeth out of his leg. Harry's pain-filled, angry, panicked eyes met Ripper's dumb, determined gaze; and something strange happened. Harry's felt a shock jump from his fingers like static electricity and the dog yelped, then bolted, letting go of Harry's leg, and crying all the way to the front door. Harry blinked after the dog in surprise for a moment then, as quick as he could, scrambled to his feet and hobbled to his hiding place behind the hydrangea bushes. Hearing his uncle cursing and his aunt screeching, Harry curled up and waited for the storm to pass, all while trying futilely to make sparks jump between his fingers, tears dripping down his cheeks.

When Harry crawled out of his hiding space hours later Aunt Marge had left, but he hadn't been saved from his punishment. Harry had immediately been shoved into his cupboard, and if there had been any doubt that the Dursleys hated him before, there was none now. From that moment on, his family referred to him as "the freak," shaming his "family" in front of Marge having been the last straw. He seemed to be grounded until further notice, only allowed out of his cupboard to do chores and make meals.

Harry sighed in contentment as he finally staggered into his cupboard and collapsed onto the cot. Blinking drowsily, he could hear his uncle in the kitchen, and his aunt laughing her horse whinny laugh in response to a funny comment. Resentment burned hot in the back of Harry's throat for a moment, then was gone just as fast as it came, leaving an empty feeling of sadness in its wake. Why couldn't the Dursleys love him like they loved Dudley? Maybe something was wrong with him. Or maybe there was something wrong with _them._ Harry found himself wishing fervently that his parents hadn't died in that car crash. But Harry knew it was a futile wish. His parents were dead. They couldn't help or hurt him anymore. But maybe, somewhere out there he had family other than the Dursleys. Maybe they lived far away, and hadn't heard about the car crash, and would show up one day to take him from this place.

So, Harry drifted off to sleep, dreaming of faceless strangers bursting into the Dursley's house to spirit him away.

* * *

><p>Uchiha Itachi observed the little boy working outside the house with keen interest.<p>

It had been almost a month ago that he had stumbled upon the information that an Uchiha may have survived the massacre. He had been sent by the Akatsuki to gain funds from small villages outside the jurisdiction of the Hidden Villages, when he encountered an old man who was familiar with his sharingan. After careful questioning, Itachi learned that a woman in possession of the sharingan had resided in the little seaside village for three years before she gained enough money to buy a ship to cross the sea.

"It was maybe thirty years ago, but not much exciting happens around here, so she was quite the commodity. Beautiful, but dressed in the oddest clothes; and when she was startled, her eyes would turn red just like yours. I must admit," the old man blushed, " I was quite smitten with her, but she had a sweetheart waiting for her. She said he was across the ocean. Personally, I thought she was a little barmy. Nothing is across the ocean. Everyone knows that. We all tried to talk her out of it, but she was adamant. Women, eh? Can't talk them out of anything when they've set their mind to something!"

Itachi had dutifully agreed, but he was no longer listening. He knew who the woman was; or at least he could guess, but his guesses generally turned out right. The only Uchiha woman to have gone missing in the last hundred years was his aunt, Uchiha Hana. His father had only talked of her once, during his training as heir of the clan. She had gone rouge not long after she returned from a long-term covert mission. The clan had been in an uproar for years after, trying to find her; but they never heard about her again, not even as a missing nin. Eventually it was agreed that she had somehow perished, and the search was given up. His father refused to talk about her except that once. He was ashamed of her for abandoning the Uchiha for, here he sneered, love. Itachi had been intrigued at the time, but dropped the matter when his father became obstinate. Really, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter anyway.

Now, here he was years later, hearing about a woman who met his aunt's description, crossing the sea for a lover. It was an S-class secret that there was actually land on the other side of the sea. As ANBU captain, Itachi has been briefed on the technologically advanced people who lived there. There was a whole world outside of the Hidden Villages, and long ago, the villages were part of the larger world. Back then, the villages were one people and, seeing the wars that plagued the rest of the world, banded together and cast a massive barrier over the lands. Later it was laced with genjutsu, so as to make the ocean appear to go on forever if any boatsman became too curious. However, there were certain ways to cross the barrier. The ANBU tattoo contained a special seal that allowed them to cross in case of emergencies. And at once it all made sense. Uchiha Hana had been sent on a long-term mission before going missing. Itachi knew that every few years a S-class solo scouting mission was sent out to a different part of the Outer World to gather information and gauge whether the people suspect the existence of the Shinobi Villages. If Uchiha Hana had been sent on that mission thirty years ago, and fell in love with some Outer Worlder, then there might be more Uchiha in the world.

Itachi's mind reeled with the implications, then settled. No, he thought, it didn't really concern him. He had been ordered to kill the Uchiha, but the village didn't even know of their existence. They could hardly cause Konoha any harm from a world where shinobi didn't even exist. But Itachi was hesitant to just continue on as if nothing happened. It was unbelievable that he would just happen to stumble upon the seaside town that his aunt had stayed at, not to mention happening to chance upon the one man who would connect his sharingan to hers, then tell him about it. If Itachi believed in fate, he would have said that fate had led him here. But as it was, Itachi believed that he had by lucky circumstance stumbled upon this thirty-year-old secret. And seeing how Itachi rarely had any luck at all, he was hesitant to just pass it over. Then it came to him.

Sasuke, his foolish little brother, had defected from Konoha a year ago to train with Orochimaru. When he had found out, Itachi had wanted to wring the gaki's little neck for his stupidity. But, then he realized that Sasuke could turn the situation to his advantage. Training with Orochimaru would put Sasuke in the perfect position to kill the snake; and that compounded with Itachi's own death would most likely make Konoha amenable to him once again. But with his defection, Itachi had a new worry. He had hoped that Sasuke would come to see someone in the village as family in the wake of loosing his own. However, Itachi seemed to scare his otouto a little too well, and his ties to the village came down to three teammates. A sensei he grudgingly respected, a girl he held in contempt, and a boy he tried to kill after defecting. Sasuke needed stronger ties to the village so Itachi could be sure that his plans would come to fruition after his death. But Sasuke had made the mistake of his clan, even without their influence. Sasuke needed family, but only an Uchiha would do. When Itachi had come to this realization, he had given up on the endeavor; and settled for hoping Sasuke's ties to his friends were strong enough to pull him back to Konoha. However, now he was presented with a grand opportunity. There may be Uchiha left in the world. He just needed to find them.

Itachi had then immediately called Leader to inform him that he would be out of contact for an indeterminable amount of time. He had to agree of course. Akatsuki was made up of exceptionally powerful individuals, each with their own ends. As long as their individual goals didn't interfere with the overriding goal of the group, they were allowed to do as they please. So, not even one day since stumbling upon his aunt's survival, Itachi purchased a boat and supplies and set off.

It was vexingly difficult to follow Hana's trial. Itachi had, after five days at sea, landed on the shore of a land with a similar language to his, which helped greatly in the initial search as he combed through the slums of the area, looking for the type of people who sold identification to suspicious-looking characters. It was one of the first rules of covert operations. It was far less suspicious to simply walk onto a boat with forged papers than to sneak on. If Hana was the type of operative that he suspected she was, she would have known this.

Itachi didn't bother with subtlety. When dealing with non-ninja, it wasn't needed. He swept through the slums like a storm, ruthlessly seeking the information he required. Even then, it took over a week before he discovered a man who had an inkling of the shinobi world. Irritated with the lack of progress, Itachi immediately captured the man in a painful _genjutsu_. He waited while the man screamed and writhed on the ground for a minute before hoisting him up and slamming him into a wall. The smell of urine met Itachi's nose as the man, jarred out of the _genjutsu_, stared fearfully into the swirling tomoe of the sharingan. "Now, Ojisan," Itachi practically purred, "Where have you heard of shinobi?"

The man caved immediately.

Every couple of years a shinobi, sick of the warring nations, would become missing nin and make their way over to the Outer World. This man was a plant, a retired Mist nin set here with the sole purpose of detecting those with unusually large chakra signatures and reporting it back to his home village. When pressed, the man told of the men and women he sensed over the years. He had been posted in that location for almost forty years, and in that time had only discovered three possible ninja, two men and a woman.

Once again, Itachi marveled at his strange luck as he continued to follow Uchiha Hana's trail. Keeping to protocol, the old Mist nin had kept tabs on Hana until she left the country, then he merely made note of the destination and returned to his post. So, now Itachi had a destination, London, England.

It took almost a month to pick up the trail again. Almost as if she had disappeared into thin air, Itachi found no record of any Uchiha Hana in any of the government offices he infiltrated. He was coming onto the end of his patience when he happened to walk by a man who had a bad reaction to his sharingan. After that it was too easy.

Uchiha Hana was the ANBU sent out to investigate the recently discovered segment of Outer Worlders, Magic Users. She went undercover as a witch, and fell in love with a man named Peter Potter. She had been the one who had provided the data that Itachi had been briefed on when he rose to the position of ANBU captain. All of this, Itachi surmised from two facts gleaned from the man. One, that James Potter's grandparents were Peter and his foreigner wife, Hana; and two, that the maiden name of this girl was Uchiha. Apparently, it was a huge scandal at the time, a pureblood heir marrying a nobody foreigner; and everyone made it their business to know everything they could about the Potters after little Harry defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

In this way, Itachi learned that his aunt and her husband were dead, as well as her son and his wife. However, Harry Potter lived.

That was how Itachi found himself observing a young waif of a boy doing yard-work. He was undoubtedly an Uchiha. The bone structure and lithe figure that was the hallmark of an elite shinobi could not be bred out of the Uchiha with only one or two generations. In fact, the boy looked remarkably like Sasuke when he was younger, except with wild hair and strikingly green eyes.

Itachi briefly pondered on the unusual color. The eyes might become a problem. No Uchiha in recent memory had any eye color but dark grey. The boy may not be able to activate the bloodline. But, that was irrelevant; he looked so much an Uchiha that Sasuke would have to accept it as fact. Not to mention, Itachi had the documents to prove it.

So, Itachi had found him, another Uchiha survivor; now what was he going to do with him? Again, just like when he first discovered that the boy may exist, Itachi was hit with the urge to just leave the boy alone. What right did Itachi have to drag this innocent child into the curse that was their family? Did this child's happiness deserve to be sacrificed for his brother's?

Itachi liked to consider himself a reasonable man, no matter how society may view him. But in a contest between his brother and the rest of the world, he would choose his brother every time.

It was time to contact Konoha.


	2. The Plan

Chapter 2 The Plan

"Ero-Sennin! Are you gonna to teach me an awesome jutsu today?"

Jiraiya of the Sennin slowly blinked awake as the constant headache that was his apprentice literally buzzed around his head.

"Naruto, shut up." Unfortunately, quiet did not descend as the blond whirlwind continued to pester him for training.

It had been a year since Jiraiya had taken Naruto on his journeying and in that time, Jiraiya had learned there was one sure-fire way to get the blonde quiet.

"I said, SHUT UP!" And with the bong of a fist meeting a particularly hard head, there was blessed silence. For all of three seconds.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin, why don't you ever train me?"

Jiraiya sighed and gave up on his post-binge lie-in. Turning over, he pinned the blonde with one eye. "What do you mean, gaki? I'm constantly training you!"

"Pfft! Yeah right! You call that training? Yesterday you had me think of ways to get into the women's baths!"

"Tactical training!"

"Pervert!"

"_Super_ Pervert!"

"GYA!"

Satisfied that he had payed his student back for the annoying wake-up call, Jiraiya got up and stretched, ignoring Naruto's complaints. Freezing for a moment as a shadow caught his attention, Jiraiya turned to his hyperactive apprentice.

"Ok Naruto, you want to learn something super cool?"

Naruto's blue eyes practically lit up with his fervor as he leaned forward and exclaimed, "Yes, YES!"

Jiraiya smirked at his student's enthusiasm, and leaned forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Ok, now this is a super-secret technique to build your chakra control."

Naruto's growing grin immediately died. Leaning back, crossing his arms, and pouting, he whined, "Ero-Sennin! I thought I already had enough chakra control! I mastered the Rasengan!"

Jiraiya snorted, "Mastered? You call that mastered? Besides gaki, you need better chakra control to learn the really big jutsu."

Naruto still looked skeptical, but he assented with a, "Che, fine."

Jiraiya eyed him for another moment before outlining the chakra control exercise. Inwardly, he grudgingly admitted that he needed to teach Naruto some jutsu. But the kid learned new jutsu too fast, and he needed to guarantee his nosy apprentice wasn't poking around this morning.

With Naruto safely out of the way, Jiraiya opened the window, and sent out a bird call in a specific pattern. In a few moments a raven alighted on the windowsill, settling down and eyeing Jiraiya up with one beady, black eye. Only one of his spy contacts used raven summons.

Eagerly, Jiraiya stripped the bird of its burden and, after removing the safety measures, began to decipher the coded message.

A moment later, Jiraiya was cursing "that man" and his "scheming" as he prepared a message to forward to Tsunade. This couldn't wait for his yearly report.

* * *

><p>Sakura pushed open the door to the Hokage's office only to blink in surprise. Her old Jonin sensei, Kakashi was already in the room, giving her a crinkle-eyed smile from where he slouched in front of the Hokage's desk.<p>

Immediately jumping to the conclusion that she was interrupting a mission report, Sakura bowed in apology, "Excuse me, Shishou. I will wait until you are fini-"

Tsunade interrupted her with a lazy wave and a wry grin, "Come in Sakura, Kakashi is actually here on time for once."

Surprised, Sakura entered the room, and gave Kakashi a suspicious glance. Kakashi was _never_ on time. The only exception to that fact of life was when he was reporting for an important mission. She managed to catch his eye; but even after years of knowing the man, she was unable to read his expression. Then again, ever since Sakura apprenticed herself to Tsunade, she hadn't seen much of Kakashi outside of chance meetings on the street and in the hospital.

"This mission is of a very delicate nature." Tsunade had switched into what Naruto had dubbed her "Hokage Mode," golden brown eyes observing Sakura and Kakashi with the utmost seriousness as she continued, "What you are about to be told is an S-class secret." She paused and looked at Sakura meaningfully, "You know what that means, correct?"

Sakura knew. Revealing an S-class secret could result in anything from painless to a violent death, depending on the severity. She answered with a firm, "Hai, Tsunade-shishou."

Tsunade nodded, "Good, so I'll skip the warnings. I have recently received intel from one of our most trusted sources within the organization known as Akatsuki."

Sakura stiffened at the name. She was intimately familiar with the organization that contributed to the breaking-up of Team Seven, but had no idea that Konoha had a spy within their ranks. She bit her tongue to prevent further reaction.

Tsunade continued, "We have known for quite some time that the missing nin known as Uchiha Itachi has been on a personal mission for several weeks; but now we know his objective. Uchiha Itachi has been searching for other survivors of the Uchiha Massacre; and according to our intel, he has found one."

Sakura felt as if she had been hit over the head with a heavy, blunt object. She stood there, stunned for a few moments, blinking rapidly, before her mind reeled with the possibilities. Hope, horrible, painful, wonderful hope burst to life in her chest. She wanted to shake Tsunade until she had every detail before rushing off to find this surviving Uchiha, this stranger that could mean _something_, when for so long she had _nothing_; and suddenly Sakura dearly wished Naruto was there with her. He would have immediately started barraging the Hokage with the questions she dared not ask due to protocol. Somehow, the rules just never applied to Naruto.

Tsunade waited until Sakura composed herself again before continuing. It was hard to tell whether Kakashi was affected by the news; but judging by his obvious non-reaction; he was probably told before she arrived.

"Kakashi, you are familiar with the Outer World, correct?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, but answered with a firm, "Hai."

Tsunade nodded, expecting this, "Good, you can answer Sakura's questions later; for now I don't have time to give a thorough information session." She turned to speak directly to Sakura, "Summed up, there is a world beyond that of the Hidden Villages; and hundreds of years ago an extremely powerful barrier was put up to separate us. As far as I know, no one currently living knows exactly how it was done; however, the means to cross the barrier has survived. The village places the seal used to cross the barrier in our ANBU tattoos, just in case of emergency. So, naturally, it has become protocol to give ANBU members a basic overview." Tsunade's eyes flickered to Kakashi briefly before focusing back on Sakura. "However, what only a very few know, is that every couple of years we send a single ANBU past the barrier to conduct a reconnaissance mission on the situation in the Outer World." She paused, observing Sakura's expression as she absorbed one shocking revelation after another, then she shifted slightly to include Kakashi on the rest of the briefing. "Thirty years ago ANBU captain, Uchiha Hana, went rogue after spending an extended amount of time on one such reconnaissance mission. According to records, it was later discovered that she made some emotional connections on the other side of the barrier; and it was most likely that she defected to the Outer World. However, we had neither the means nor the inclination to conduct a proper investigation at the time."

Tsunade paused, her eyes glazing in remembrance. Probably remembering the situation of the time, thought Sakura, absently, as she internally fought to fit these new revelations into her current view of the world. She found it was easier to just memorize the facts without trying to believe. She could worry about thinking later.

Snapping out of her brief foray into the past, Tsunade's continued, seriously, "Our intelligence indicates that Uchiha Hana reached the Outer World, and started a family, that was subsequently wiped out, except for one boy. He is currently five years old, and is known to the Outer World as Harry Potter; they place their surname last. This mission is a race against time. We know that Itachi is on this boy's trail; but we don't know how close he is. So, your mission is to recover the boy and bring him here before Itachi finds him. The boy is only twenty-five percent Uchiha; but the possibility of the bloodline limit manifesting is still there. He must be recovered at all costs." She paused, eyeing them meaningfully before adding, "Dead or alive."

Sakura grimaced, she knew of course, why the dead body could be useful. While not preferable to having a sharingan user on their side; they may be able to figure out the eye's weaknesses through examination of an Uchiha body; and considering their current "enemies," that information could prove invaluable. She understood; but she didn't have to like it.

After that last order, Tsunade's whole countenance softened, "I know that Chuunin are not usually sent on S-class retrieval missions, Sakura; but with our village resources stretched the way they are, I could not spare my ANBU. However, if you feel that you will not be able to accomplish this mission, speak up now."

Put on the spot, Sakura reflexively glanced at her former sensei for guidance, only to receive a raised eyebrow. It seemed she had to decide for herself. But really, the choice was obvious. Banishing her shock and bewilderment to the back of her mind, Sakura straitened, found her resolve, and answered, "I will see this mission through Shishou." She hesitated, then pushed on, "But if I may, I would like to know how Potter-san is related to Sasu… to Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade quirked her lips and asked, wryly, "Do you really need to know that information for the mission?" She didn't wait for an answer, "Uchiha Hana was Fugaku's sister, so I suppose Harry would be the boy's cousin." She considered for a moment, then added, "Hana had a son named James, who then had Harry."

Sakura blinked in surprise at the close relation, then met Kakashi's eye in mutual understanding. This Harry Potter could mean Sasuke's salvation. They would retrieve him even at the cost of their lives.

"The other mission details are in the mission scroll, including a storage seal containing books on the culture and language you will be encountering. You will have an hour to prepare, then report to the mission center where a sealing expert will explain the transportation scroll you will be using. Good luck. Dismissed!"

Once her office was empty once again, Tsunade pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began writing, muttering to herself, "I hope you know what you're doing, Jiraiya."

* * *

><p>Sakura's mind worked furiously as she packed her supplies for the extended mission, her hands going through the familiar motions as she pondered the numerous revelations of the day.<p>

Somehow, the idea of an entire world outside the Hidden Villages made perfect sense. When she had learned about the Hidden Villages in the Academy, she had been more concerned with memorizing facts and getting perfect scores than thinking about common sense. Really, who ever heard of an ocean going on forever? It had to end somewhere. Then again, the immediate threat of the other Villages was far more compelling than some unknown land that may or may not exist.

She could take this in stride, memorize the information on the culture and language and move on.

It was the objective of her mission that was making her mind reel.

Sasuke had family! Of course it wasn't the family he had lost, but family nonetheless; and not some distant relative either, but a direct cousin! This could be just what they needed to convince Sasuke to come back home.

Sakura understood to an extent the reason why Sasuke left. Naruto had recounted some of what happened at the Valley of the End. She knew Naruto kept a lot of it to himself; and she wasn't sure she really wanted to know it all; but he did tell her about Itachi, and the way the man manipulated Sasuke into seeking revenge. Her hands clenched at the very thought, crumpling a shirt she was about to pack. The sick bastard! But after finding out, she understood what went wrong. Sasuke left because that damn seal Orochimaru gave him brought out the hunger for power Itachi drove into his psyche at the tender age of seven. Sasuke had always been competitive, always needed to be the best; but more than anything else, Sasuke wanted to be part of a family again.

Sakura hadn't truly understood that at the time. During that first meeting as Team Seven, when Sasuke professed to wanting to revive his clan in addition to killing "a certain man," all she had thought of was how much she wanted to help him accomplish the former. In her blind infatuation, she hadn't been able to see the darkness in him until it was too late. Sakura smiled to herself without humor. In the end, it had been Naruto who had understood, Naruto that saw the darkness in their friend and tried to bring him to the light; and it had been to Naruto that Sasuke confided his dark past.

Truly, she was such a fool. What was she to Sasuke? An annoyance? A useless teammate? While it was true that they had grown closer as a team; personally, Sasuke never knew her past her crush. Yet, she felt his absence like a dull ache in her heart. It pained her to think that he probably hadn't even thought of her since he left.

Before now, she had firmly believed that it would be Naruto who would convince Sasuke to return. The most she could have hoped for would be to help Naruto beat some sense into him. Now, she was given the responsibility of bringing Sasuke's cousin safely home. She could only pray that they got there in time; and that the knowledge of a living cousin was enough to wrest Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches.

Slipping her pack onto her shoulders, Sakura made an internal vow; she would not fail, could not fail. A year ago she promised herself that she would become strong, would cease to the be the weak link of Team Seven. Now was her chance to prove how far she had come. She could not fail.


	3. Defiance

Chapter 3 Defiance

Sakura practically vibrated with impatience as she and Kakashi set off. She wanted to run. She couldn't stand the easy pace they had going; but she knew it was necessary. Kakashi no doubt would have been able to cross the distance between Konaha and this Harry Potter's house in the time it took a messenger hawk to fly, which was five days. Five days, they were already behind by five days. At this rate of travel, they wouldn't reach the shore for a week, then an additional week to take the boat across the sea and make their way to the boy's house.

Cursing herself for never bothering to learn any transportation jutsu, Sakura pushed their leisurely tree-hopping into a faster pace. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi raise his eyebrow; but he didn't comment, just matched his pace to hers. Kakashi had always been that way, letting Team Seven learn from their own mistakes, letting them fall, then catching them right before they shattered on the rocks. A wry twist crossed Sakura's lips at the imagery. Kakashi had never been known for his timeliness.

Shaking herself out of that depressing line of thought, Sakura refocused on the issue at hand. If things went extremely well, they should arrive at Potter's house two weeks after the original information was sent to the Leaf. Two weeks in which time Itachi may have already found the boy and killed him. For the first time, Sakura questioned Tsunade's reasoning on sending Sakura on a mission where speed was obviously the priority. Unless…well, unless the Hokage didn't trust her shinobi. The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she forcefully put it out of her mind. It was useless to speculate about things that had no bearing on her mission. All she needed to concentrate on was going faster, faster, faster. Every second counted, and Sakura prayed to any kami that would listen that they would get to Potter before Itachi did.

An idea striking her, Sakura slowed slightly and turned to her teammate, "Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi turned his head in her direction, not even breaking stride. He obviously didn't need to watch the trees to keep from falling. Show off.

Having gained his attention, Sakura asked the question that had just occurred to her, "Kakashi-sensei, why don't we use the transportation scrolls to take us to the shore? Or better yet, Potter-san's house?" Kakashi eye-crinkled at her, but she got the distinct impression that he was slightly disappointed. Sakura clenched her fists in aggravation. Just because she had a lot of book-smarts didn't mean that she knew everything, dammit!

"Sakura-chan," Sakura twitched at the "chan," "Weren't you paying attention at the briefing just now?" Sakura twitched again. Yes, she had been paying attention, but the baka nin who had been heading the info session had obviously been gearing the briefing to Kakashi. Most of the explanation had gone right over her head; but she was too proud to admit it, so she just kept quiet, waiting for Kakashi to finally explain what she had oh-so-obviously missed.

Kakashi sighed, then dropped the teasing tone altogether, "Sakura, those pre-mission briefings usually prove vital to the completion of the mission, especially considering you are going into completely new territory with tools that you have never used before. A ninja who covers ignorance with false confidence is a fool. Never be afraid to ask for clarification." Then like a switch had been thrown, Kakashi flipped back to his usual teasing tone, "Even if the shinobi in charge is a sexist bastard."

Sakura often forgot how insightful her former sensei could be. Shame pressed into her chest and felt hot in her throat. Here she was acting like a little girl, when she should have been acting like a shinobi. Her actions more than anything proved the baka sealer right in his prejudice. The heavy silence held for another minute or two of travel before Kakashi began explaining the functions of the teleportation scrolls so that Sakura could understand. Somewhere in the middle of the impromptu lesson, Sakura realized that, while Kakashi was chronically late, migraine inducing, and downright crazy, she had missed him just as much as she missed Naruto.

* * *

><p>Petunia Dursley contemplated her nephew as he stood before her with her sister's defiant eyes. It wasn't a practice she usually employed. Most of the time she could hardly stand to look at the boy, but over the past week, he had been acting strange. At first she had blamed his abnormality, but now that she thought about it, he was probably behaving more normally now than he ever had. After all, what type of normal child consented to chores with the kind of obedience that the boy has for years? When her Dudders was still in diapers, the boy was not only starting some basic house and yard-work, but cooking as well! He was a freak like his parents, this fact had never been in question; but he was never like the sweet, yet willful Lily. He was always an eerily obedient child, doing all of his chores without question, and with a focus that was just plain disturbing. Even as a baby, she recalled, he rarely cried.<p>

Yet a week ago something changed. At first it was small acts of defiance. He would leave some weeds in the beds, burn the bacon, and half heartedly clean the rooms, when before all of his chores were done perfectly. The boy was punished of course. They shut him in the cupboard without supper…perhaps too many times. But it didn't seem to matter; he always came out more defiant than before. She started to feel unsettled when she saw him, and now she realized why. The dull green of the boy's eyes had a new fire in them. Now more than ever they resembled Lily's eyes, and she didn't know how she felt about that. However, this last act of defiance was one that she could not let pass. The boy refused to do anything. Refused! As if he had the right to! She needed to put her foot down now before the boy got completely out of hand. Yet, with Lily's eyes glaring defiantly at her out of that wretched Potter's face, she found herself hesitating. Luckily, her husband had the day off and must have heard, bellowing out a furious, "BOY!" from the kitchen entrance. Petunia gratefully stepped back. Vernon could deal with the boy without this ridiculous indecision.

* * *

><p>Harry froze, wide green eyes focusing on the imposing figure framed in the kitchen doorway. He had been sure that his uncle had left for work hours ago. Over the past week he had been testing the boundaries of his relatives' tolerance, and he had found a slight weakening in his aunt's prejudice against him. Ever since the moment when he realized that his relatives would never love him, Harry had been planning this moment when he would refuse to do any chores at all, just like Dudley. He was almost positive that Petunia wouldn't know what to do with his new defiance. From this day onward, he was determined to make his life better, with or without his relative's permission. Yet, in all of his planning he never thought of Vernon. Vernon, who hated him without the guilt of knowing his mother. Vernon, who always gave him his worst punishments, sometimes whole days locked in his cupboard without food. Vernon, who stood, his face an ugly purple, a few feet away and looking more furious than Harry had ever seen him. He seemed to fill the entire hall as he lumbered forward, fists clenched. Harry attempted to step back in response; but his back hit the door to his cupboard. He half turned to run down the hall, but was stopped by a meaty fist gripping the front of his oversized t-shirt and yanking him up onto his toes to come nose-to-nose with his uncle.<p>

Suddenly afraid, Harry struggled futilely in his uncle's grasp, as Vernon breathed sharply through his nose and spoke through gritted teeth, "How dare you…you freak talk to my wife like that in my own house!" He shook Harry to emphasize the point. "Well, let me tell you! I will not allow it! Petunia!" The last was directed behind him at his wife standing still, and white-faced by the kitchen door, "We agreed to wait and see if the boy grew out of his parents freakishness, and this bloody well proves he won't. He's been a defiant little bastard for days! Now we're doing this my way." Vernon turned back to his nephew, only to blink in surprise as he realized he was clutching an empty sweater.

Ducking out of his oversized sweater, Harry didn't stop to think, just ran as fast as he could past his motionless aunt, through the kitchen and toward the back door.

He didn't make it that far.

A large hand grasped the loose material of Harry's shirt and yanked him off his feet. Landing painfully on his back, Harry gasped for breath while trying to roll over and make another break for it, but it was too late. Vernon had clamped his hand around Harry's skinny arm. Dragging the struggling boy into the living room, Vernon yelled, "Petunia, get me my cane!"

Harry knew what was coming. How many times had Vernon threatened to beat the life out of him if he embarrassed the family? But the threats had always been empty, and Vernon had never done anything worse than boxing him around the ears and shoving him a little harder than necessary into his cupboard.

Shaking in fear and looking wildly around for an escape route or a distraction, Vernon had to give his arm a violent shake to get Harry's attention again. In the back of his mind, Harry noted that his arm would have finger-shaped bruises in an hour, but most of Harry's attention was on the purple face looming over him.

"You know you deserve this, little freak," Vernon snarled, spittle hitting Harry's face, "You knew what would happen when you refused to do your chores. Did you think you could just freeload here, when we took you in out of the goodness of our hearts? Even though we knew you were a freak, we let you live here, and even gave you the clothes from our son's back and the food from our table. If I had it my way; I would dumped you at the nearest orphanage that first day. But your Aunt begged me to keep you, said that we could teach you different. She said that growing up in a proper family away from the other freaks would prevent you from becoming a freak too, but she was wrong!"

It was at this moment that Petunia enter the living room, looking a little pale and holding a long, wooden cane in her shaking hands. Vernon's voice immediately softened, like a switch had been thrown, "Thank you Pet, just give it to me here. A good beating builds character. Remember what Marge said?"

Petunia looked as if she had swallowed her own tongue, and just nodded, jerkily, handing over the cane and leaving the living room without once looking at Harry, who was thinking hysterically of Dudley who had never received as much as a slap on the wrist his entire life, and what that made him if beatings build character. The hysterical laughter that was probably sobs froze in his chest as Vernon turned from where his wife had left the room and fixed his mean little eyes on Harry.

It crossed Harry's mind to apologize, to beg for forgiveness or mercy. But Harry knew that look in Vernon's eyes very well. He saw it in Dudley's eyes when he got in the mood to play Harry Hunting. It was the look of a man who wanted to hurt someone just to make himself feel better, whether that person deserved the pain or not. In any case, Harry hadn't begged for forgiveness from the Dursleys in years, and something inside him, whether it was pride or stupid stubbornness, Harry didn't know, just refused to give Vernon the satisfaction. So as stoic as possible, and trying to ignore the tears dripping down his cheeks, Harry followed Vernon's instructions to bend over the ottoman, and wait for the first strike of the cane.

WHAP!

"Count them out, boy!"

"One."

* * *

><p>Itachi was livid.<p>

Itachi kept up a light surveillance on Harry Potter's house, taking time to survey the situation outside the Hidden Villages. There was not much to report. The Outside was just as ignorant of his world as they've ever been. So, it did not take long for him to realize the situation in the house had changed, past the familial resemblance, the boy had been too thin, much too thin and small for his age, which, according to various sources, was four. Without that knowledge, Itachi would have assumed the boy to be three. Now, watching his cousin leave the house, obviously stiff from injuries to his back, Itachi knew that he needed to rethink his plans.

Abuse was one thing that was never tolerated in the Uchiha clan. It couldn't be when half the clan was part of the Konoha Police; and even as Itachi remembered hours of practice at an extremely young age, pushing his body past its limits, he could not deny that his parents had cared for him when he was Harry's age. His mother had never given up trying to understand him, even at the end.

Itachi's gut clenched in familiar pain when his thoughts touched on That Day, then it passed and he took stock of the changed situation. His cousin was suffering from neglect, and now physical abuse. It made liquid rage pool in his stomach to see a child that so resembled Sasuke so obviously injured with no one to take care of him. But the Konaha team was at most a week away, and breaking cover now would compromise the mission.

It would be hard enough to get Harry into Konoha, him being an outsider. Harry's youth, his obviously untrained body, and his pedigree would play key parts in gaining him access. But if Itachi were to interfere in the boy's life before Konoha ninja arrived, then the boy would immediately be suspected of being in league with him. And whether it was true or not, Harry would be shadowed by his brief association with Itachi for the rest of his life. In his report to Jiraiya, Itachi had made the personal request that Harry be left ignorant of his heritage unless absolutely necessary. He couldn't ruin Harry's chance as a ninja before he even considered the possibility.

No, he could not intervene, not yet. But with every whimper from the child's throat as he painfully bent over flower beds, Itachi thought of a new way to make the Durselsy's last moments as painful as possible.


End file.
